I feel like there must be nothing in the world as repetitious as my reviews of Dave Barry books. Like most, I first encountered Barry by reading his cI feel like there must be nothing in the world as repetitious as my reviews of Dave Barry books. Like most, I first encountered Barry by reading his column in my local newspaper. As an adolescent, I found him hilarious. As an adult, I sometimes still find him quite funny, though less LOL inducing than my younger self found him. This is another collection of newspaper columns, so there isn't much of a theme, just random thoughts from Barry about whatever he wrote about in a particular week in the mid-nineties.

One item of note: Barry books have often had tragically bad covers and titles over the years, but I have to say that this one is pretty much the worst. The bad photo-shopping, the mugging for the camera, the meaningless riff on the title of another popular book. It is truly groan-inducing. The first chapter is even dedicated to discussing how the title of the book came about (long story short: it was very hard to find anything that everybody involved could agree upon. How they reached agreement on this one, we may never know.)

Anyway, I continue to read Barry as a bit of a guilty pleasure, and still enjoy the experience, but I do so rather self-consciously. If you grew up reading Barry, you may get similar pleasure from the experience....more

Tina Fey is just as witty and charming in this book as she is on television and film. Unlike so many celebrity book cash-ins, this doesn't feel ghostTina Fey is just as witty and charming in this book as she is on television and film. Unlike so many celebrity book cash-ins, this doesn't feel ghost written. Fey's voice is present on almost every page, with its characteristic mix of humor and humanity. It's a great, fun read that also touches on serious matters, but never takes itself too seriously as it does so.

I'm holding back that last star in the review because the last quarter of the book can't quite match the first three quarters. As long as Fey is writing about her life growing up, her experience on SNL and 30 Rock, and the tricky politics of being a woman in a field historically dominated by men, she is spot-on and laugh-out-loud funny. I was less interested as the book was filled-out with a few pieces on topics of a more "general interest" bent.

On the whole though, very compelling and enjoyable read, with especially great sections on her dad (and people's reactions to her dad) and to the scar on her face (and people's reactions to said scar). I hope Fey will continue making witty and engaging pop culture, whether it be TV or the printed word, for many years to come....more

I remember as a college freshman I had a couple of courses that were essentially world literature survey classes. As part of one of those classes, weI remember as a college freshman I had a couple of courses that were essentially world literature survey classes. As part of one of those classes, we read an excerpt of Don Quixote, which included the famous tilting at windmills section. I recall finding the excerpt surprisingly funny, and even laughing out loud on a couple of occasions.

Now, over a decade later, I came back and read the novel in its entirety. Here is what I have to say: you are probably better off just sticking with the excerpt. You get the flavor of the whole thing, but not the repetition. The vast bulk of Don Quixote consists of variations of the "tilting at windmills" episode, where the Don mistakes someone or something for someone or something else and has a confusing sort of faux-battle, with Sancho, ever credulous, often being punished to extreme degrees.

Given the age of this book, it still reads pretty easily to modern readers, but it ground down my appetite for consuming it pretty quickly. The laughs become fewer as you read onward, and the end isn't much of a reward. This is of course still a class of world literature, and by all means you should read it if it intrigues you, but like many modern film comedies, if you've seen the previews, you've pretty much seen the best parts. ...more

Tom Stoppard is extraordinarily erudite, and often very funny. I love his best known play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and was also a big fTom Stoppard is extraordinarily erudite, and often very funny. I love his best known play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and was also a big fan of his one and only novel. This collection didn't hit me the same way, though.

The first play, the Real Inspector Hound, was my favorite. As others have said, it is both a send-up of the mystery genre and a commentary on criticism, while also managing to be funny to boot.

Unfortunately, I thought there was diminishing returns on the rest of the plays, though it has crossed my mind that they may play better on stage where it would be easier to understand some of the action and blocking. While these plays can sometimes be clever, there really isn't much emotional pitch involved. ...more

Karl Welzein (a.k.a. @dadboner) is pretty much the best thing on all of Twitter. In book form, Karl Welzein is something slightly less, but still enjoKarl Welzein (a.k.a. @dadboner) is pretty much the best thing on all of Twitter. In book form, Karl Welzein is something slightly less, but still enjoyable, especially if you haven't read these in tweet form previously.

Karl--in all of his overconfidence, alcoholicism, self-centeredness, and questionable taste--is a character like few others. Hard to like him, but easy to laugh at him, and sometimes pity him. The way he is written, full of goofball linguistic ticks, is exhilerating at 140 characters at a time, as you read it in real time. It's a little more stale on paper.

My favorite parts usually revolve around Karl hanging with his friends, who are even more desperate, profane, and absurd than Karl himself. Dave and Cooter in particular are great foils. They make Karl look good. Sometimes I'll remember some part of an @dadboner bit and laugh out loud. And sometimes there is even a tiny part of me that wishes that I might have a swig of trunk liquor from from the back of a Sebring, rock out to some 1980s hair ballads, get some top shelf margs at 'Bees, and end the night by drinking a thousand beers, you guys. Thankfully, I can live vicariously through Karl....more

I'm pretty much the exact center of the target audience for this book: midwestern, male, reluctantly entering middle-age. I'm also an avowed fan of KeI'm pretty much the exact center of the target audience for this book: midwestern, male, reluctantly entering middle-age. I'm also an avowed fan of Keillor, and therefore there is no reason that I shouldn't love this book. Yet I don't.

Oh, I enjoyed it well enough. It has its Keillor-esque moments. The (presumably) autobiographical story about "Gary" Keillor and the one about the kid with leprosy where a couple of standouts. But many of these stories seemed to lack heart, and were ultimately forgettable.

The title is accurate, in that the stories universally feature male protaganists, but Keillor seems to be having a hard time putting his finger on exactly what it is about men that he wants to say. That getting old is difficult? That we think about sex a lot? Those things are true, I guess, but it's tough to make a whole book out them.

In the final examination, I'd say this book is an experiment with pretty mixed results. If you are a big Keillor fan, and fit the demographic like I do, you may get some chuckles. For most readers his other material will serve you better....more

I've considered reading Dave Barry a sort of guilty pleasure ever since I was in high school. This is more of the same style from him, though it is soI've considered reading Dave Barry a sort of guilty pleasure ever since I was in high school. This is more of the same style from him, though it is so short that it hardly qualifies as a book--more like an extended essay. You can read it in a couple hours or less.

And although there is something enjoyable to making fun of bad music (and no shortage of bad music to choose from), Barry mostly sticks to the sort of music that is known by people around his own age. If you're much younger than him, chances are you've heard some of the songs he criticizes on the oldies station, but you may not quite get the joke a fair percentage of the time.

But I also sense that reviewing this book is relatively pointless--you more or less know what you are getting if you've ever read Barry in the newspaper. If you like that, I'm sure you'll like this too....more

Way back when I was a high school sophomore, my English teacher read selections from Cruel Shoes to our class. Among the selections was the famous "FoWay back when I was a high school sophomore, my English teacher read selections from Cruel Shoes to our class. Among the selections was the famous "Folding Soup" story. When it was over, a classmate of mine leaned over and said to me that he could imagine me folding soup in the way Martin describes. I'm not sure exactly what he meant, but I've always liked that memory.

So now, lo these many years later, I finally got around the reading the book in its entirety. It doesn't disappoint.

These very short stories (they are almost prose poems) are pithy, weird, and funny. It's classic Martin--the Steve Martin of the seventies and early eighties, not the Cheaper By the Dozen 2 Steve Martin--and much more obtuse and challenging than virtually any book by a popular comedian. It's no sitcom.

Not every story is a winner, but Martin hits a lot more than he misses, and they are so short that if you don't like a story, it's over in a page or two anyway. This is a book that I envision being picked back up on a regular basis....more

I found A Walk in the Woods on cassette tape at a thrift store for 50 cents. Having the last car on earth with a working cassette tape player, and knoI found A Walk in the Woods on cassette tape at a thrift store for 50 cents. Having the last car on earth with a working cassette tape player, and knowing I had a long car trip coming up, I picked it up. It doesn't disappoint.

I'd never read Bryson before, despite years of recommendations from friends. At least part of the appeal for me was in the excellent voice acting performances on the tape, so I'm not sure how well that may transfer in a traditional reading experience. Nonetheless, this is a great way to pass the time; it's funny, breezy, and not afraid to take occasional jabs at deserving political targets.

I'll almost certainly read more Bryson when I need to find a easy, but not stupid, read....more

I may as well just cut and paste my reviews for other Garrison Keillor's books into this space, since I feel the same about all of his work I've read.I may as well just cut and paste my reviews for other Garrison Keillor's books into this space, since I feel the same about all of his work I've read. I find it very enjoyable, but as a native of the type of towns that Keillor describes, it is hard for me to be objective. I have the same nostolgia that Keillor has.

It's been too long since I read this for me to give a proper review, and truth be told, Lies may be losing its relevence as the memory of the horrorsIt's been too long since I read this for me to give a proper review, and truth be told, Lies may be losing its relevence as the memory of the horrors of the Bush administration fade, but I've always liked Franken (his Limbaugh book was a relevelation for me when I read it in high school). I do remember laughing out loud several times and generally enjoying Lies. Franken is a much better writer than, for example, Michael Moore. Though I'm glad he's now in the Senate, I'm sorry that his new role as Serious Politician prevents him turning out more funny and searing political books....more

It's hard not to like this collection of stories. Oh, it's easy not to like David Sedaris--the man is an ass, there's little doubt--but this collectioIt's hard not to like this collection of stories. Oh, it's easy not to like David Sedaris--the man is an ass, there's little doubt--but this collection is funny. Amoral, base, and self-centered, but funny. Also, I like reading Sedaris better than hearing him on This American Life because I can hear my own voice instead of his almost unlistenable screech.

I withhold the last star because I felt like there could have been a little more pathos. The stories are sometimes too light for their own good. Still, this book is filed under humor and it delivers far better than most other books you'll find in that section....more

I loved Dave Barry in middle and high school. Since that time, I've occasionally picked up one of his books, but they seem to have ever diminishing reI loved Dave Barry in middle and high school. Since that time, I've occasionally picked up one of his books, but they seem to have ever diminishing returns. This one in particular seems to miss the mark because it is so badly dated. It came out in 1996, making its computer tech humor irrelevent and sometimes almost unintelligable. The whole thing feels pretty paint by numbers.

The one caveat is the story of the two people that meet online and possibly start a relationship, which has a surprising amount of heart. I can only imagine that the internet has made Barry's life a lot harder, since now weird stories can go viral without a syndicated humor columnist to publicize them. It's disappointing that a great deal of humor in this book comes from the fact that there are strange web pages on the internet. Imagine that! After reading so much of his other, earlier, superior, work, most of Dave Barry in Cyberspace is played out and predictable. ...more

I had a problem with expectations here. Having this book recommended to me several times over the years, and especially by two people whose opinions oI had a problem with expectations here. Having this book recommended to me several times over the years, and especially by two people whose opinions on literature I genuinely respect (shout outs to you, Seth and Megan!) I guess I figured I was going to read hands down the funniest and most meaningful book I had read in a long time. With a bar set that high, I couldn't help but feel let down. Confederacy of Dunces is a good read, but perhaps not the apex of comic literature I had hoped for.

So I'm going to be one of the few to try to operate in the middle ground in terms of opinion on this book. Ignatious Reilly will certainly stay with you, reminding you of some of your friends--supremely self-assured and confident of his own opinions outwardly, yet so afraid of the world that he can't even bear to leave his hometown or his mother's house. In many ways, he is more sad than funny...a person that is stunted and helpless, though it is hard to understand why. Other characters have their moments in the sun as well, but none jump off the page like Reilly.

As the book wound down, I thought maybe it was going to go someplace very dark, and validate the sadness that I sensed throughout, but it never ended up getting there, and left me feeling disappointed that there wasn't some ending that felt more consequential. As I said, Confederacy of Dunces is a good book, but one that doesn't exactly come as advertised. Oh, and of course the tragic story of the author's suicide and the subsequent discover of the novel is incredible--good introduction from Walker Percy covering that in my edition....more

I'm generally a Moore fan--he's one of the left's best propagandists (and I mean that in a good way)--but this book is no fun and quite often logicallI'm generally a Moore fan--he's one of the left's best propagandists (and I mean that in a good way)--but this book is no fun and quite often logically suspect. Moore's films are usually a joy. They're evocative and provocative. They juxtapose interesting images and have moments of humor and poignancy.

Stupid White Men is none of those things. Maybe it would have been more interesting if I had read it during the Bush administration, but now it just feels half-baked. Ideas aren't fleshed out, there's very little documentation, and it's absolutely unfunny. I don't think I laughed out loud (LOL'd, natch) a single time. President Bush deserved to be pilloried for his horrendous policies while he was in office, and there are many good anti-Bush books out there, but this is not one of them....more

As always with Keillor, my thoughts on his fiction are colored by being from a place pretty similar to the Lake Wobegone of his books. I always thinkAs always with Keillor, my thoughts on his fiction are colored by being from a place pretty similar to the Lake Wobegone of his books. I always think of the people he writes about as "my people" and am therefore prepossesed to liking his work. Still, I don't think I'm way off base by saying this book has a lot of humanity in it.

If I have it right, all of the 30 or so chapters that make up Leaving Home are taken from Keillor's radio show and transcribed. As usual, they concern the small time goings-on in a small Minnesota community. The characters feels true to life--both small-minded and sometimes generous. I was often touched by the writing, and though this book is less dark than some of Keillor's other published work that did not appear on the radio, there is still a surprisingly small amount of nostolgia.

In my view, the Upper Plains states couldn't find a better chronicler of their collective experience than Keillor. Like the citizens themselves, Keillor's work is subdued, with gentle humor. Sometimes reactionary, sometimes seeking escape, sometimes reveling in the familiar and sometimes coming to terms with their own lives with a surprising honesty....more

This short collection takes about 90 minutes to read. You may get a handful of laughs out of it, and most of it is pretty true as far as it goes. CaseThis short collection takes about 90 minutes to read. You may get a handful of laughs out of it, and most of it is pretty true as far as it goes. Casey's General Store, ranch dressing, the color beige, and meth are some of the things the people of my community love. I got this as a gift, but I wouldn't pay money for it....more

I've been reading Dave Barry since middle school, and in the last 20 years, his formula doesn't seem to have changed a whole lot. All of his books areI've been reading Dave Barry since middle school, and in the last 20 years, his formula doesn't seem to have changed a whole lot. All of his books are entertaining diversions, though pretty much empty calories when all is said and done. This one is a sort of tribute to being a guy, which in Barry's mind is a dorky yet endearing quality that embraces many of the familiar cliches of what it is to be male. If you've read his humor columns, the style here is very similar. A light read that may cause occasional laughing out loud, but not something that is likely to stay with you long after you've finished. I'm not sure what kind of appeal this book would have to the non-guy gender, but I'm guessing not a lot....more

If you're familiar with typical Dave Barry material, this one is more of the same. Some good chuckles, but becoming pretty dated (written in 1990). AsIf you're familiar with typical Dave Barry material, this one is more of the same. Some good chuckles, but becoming pretty dated (written in 1990). As someone that has a ways to go before getting to 40, I was still laughing at some of Barry's jokes. Fast, easy, forgettable read....more

An extremely enjoyable reading experience, Tom Stoppard can deliver absurdity as few others can. This, Stoppard's only novel, is closer to RosencrantzAn extremely enjoyable reading experience, Tom Stoppard can deliver absurdity as few others can. This, Stoppard's only novel, is closer to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead than Shakespeare in Love, and is filled with characters that see the universe only through their own collosal egomania. It is enormously funny and philosophical, and even has a few touching moments of unreality thrown in. Somewhat scattered at the outset, Stoppard picks up steam in the last half of the novel as he moves toward the conclusion of the story.

Stoppard belongs to that very small and special class of writer than deftly turns the unending tragedy and confusion of the world into an anarchic, comic spectacle. He reminds us how little we know, and that we don't even really know many of the things we think we do. Though Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will remain his most lasting impact on literature, Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon deserves to be read and respected in its own right....more

Enjoyable enough book in the usual Dave Barry style. Very quick read--I finished it in a day. It's about as funny as most of Barry's other books (whicEnjoyable enough book in the usual Dave Barry style. Very quick read--I finished it in a day. It's about as funny as most of Barry's other books (which invariably do have some laugh out loud moments) but I was hoping the book might be a little more hard-edged and subversive. Dave Barry Slept Here is good light entertainment, but not on the same plane as other "funny history" books like the Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. If you're a Barry fan, you will certainly enjoy this one....more

I see many of the less glowing reviews of this book are by Vowell fans that didn't like Wordy Shipmates as well as some of her prior work. I had neverI see many of the less glowing reviews of this book are by Vowell fans that didn't like Wordy Shipmates as well as some of her prior work. I had never read Vowell before this, so I guess I was not mentally comparing it to her other work. That said, I thought Wordy Shipmates was hilarious and informative.

Vowell has deepened my appreciation for a subject I thought I didn't care about: the story of the pilgrims. As Vowell correctly predicts, most of my knowledge about this chapter of history comes from TV. I am pleased to be disabused of my misperceptions. In her roundabout way, she paints a picture of settlers that "easy to love, but hard to like." And it is in fact difficult not to admire the extraordinary commitment principle that these pilgrims exhibit. Though I disagree rather sharply with their ideas on a wide range of religous issues, not to mention their ideas about Native Americans, these folks were willing to go to the mat for their beliefs. For good or ill, they were not big on compromise.

Of course, there is a difference between willingness to compromise and apathy, and we could have a serious debate exactly when unwillingness to compromise goes from an admirable trait to extremism, and that is also an area that the Wordy Shipmates explores. Ultimately this is a satisfying and readable account of a complex historical series of events. If internecine religous argument, snarky commentary, and occasional barbs pointed at the Bush administration are interesting to you, I'm confident you'll like this book. Even if they aren't, you might still like it. One of the best books I've read this year. ...more

I read my first Dave Barry column back when I was probaby 13 or 14. I still remember that it contained some bit about how snakes were learning to moveI read my first Dave Barry column back when I was probaby 13 or 14. I still remember that it contained some bit about how snakes were learning to move from toilet to toilet, which I thought was absolutely hilarious. As a middle and high schooler, I read quite a few of his books and generally enjoyed most of them a lot. Now that I'm somewhat older, I don't think Barry is quite the genius I used to, but I still find him surprising enough that I don't mind picking up one of his books once in a while. This collection is from the late eighties, so the political jokes don't have too much resonance these days, but it's a fine time anyway. Don't expect anything too deep (aside from a strangely moving column about the death of his father) and you won't be disappointed....more